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Monday, June 26, 2017

Five Thousand Miles

Close approximation to the number of miles I covered in the past three days. Combined with a heavy dose of benadryl to combat a sting on my knee that's so swollen I can't wear pants comfortably, I'm basically existing in a strange state between almost-awake and not awake even a little bit.

Fuck yeah, let's write a blog post!

My Friday started at 6 a.m. when doggies and I went to do barn chores for two hours. From there I dropped the doggos off at home while I took a ten second shower, went grocery shopping, came back home, grabbed my truck, and went back to the barn.

pretty much slayed all day. #firsttry

I hooked up my trailer, rescued my pony from his temporary turnout group where they were eating him since his bestie was showing, helped load five horses, and then drove the two hours to Syracuse. Once there I chucked the horse on my trailer into the hands of a teen, did the world's fastest trailer backing and parking maneuvers, and drove the two hours back home. Two minutes to change into nice clothes, then into the car to drive an hour and a half down to Hubby's little brother's graduation. Two hours later, back in the car to drive home again. On Sunday I added on another four hour round trip to grab ponies from Syracuse with my window off the track in the pouring rain and the feeling of a knife lodged under my kneecap.

nothing like a good lake storm when you're driving along the lake for ten million miles

But between that all I got two dressage rides in, and I forced Hubby to join me for one since he hasn't come to the barn in ages, so the weekend was basically a win.

all rides start with stretchies and me trying to figure out how to post

Saturday we were in the indoor for the entirety of the ride and Bobby was super. Really the only thing he did wrong was getting a little twisted in his neck in the left lead canter. But let's be real. Why would any horse be twisted in its neck? Maybe because its rider can't stop fidgeting with the mother fucking reins.

Sunday I started off in the outdoor purely to get better pictures. My camera does fine in the indoor, but outside is just so much better. Bobby felt alright at the walk and cruising around on a long rein at the trot.

my complete inability to post in a dressage saddle is its own separate post.in summary though: NOPE.

Once I started trying to pick him up and put him together though, he felt awful. His stride felt short and tight, and there was no softness to be found anywhere. I tried to tough it out for awhile with the thinking that I can't just quit when I'm at a show and he's not feeling perfect right away. But all the tricks I threw at him did nothing to improve the situation.

giving up on getting anything at this point. mehhh, sad body, sad face, we suck.

I decided to go into the indoor to make use of the mirror. Maybe he wasn't actually looking as bad as he felt? Maybe I was doing something truly awful with my body to make him feel like shit?

The second we picked up the trot inside he felt a hundred percent better.

you see what i mean with the underneck coming out of his chest tho?! ughhhhhh.work in progress in this lower frame. so boring. so tedious. making myself work atit every day regardless.

The outdoor is under full sun from the second daylight hits until it's completely dark out. The base isn't as deep as the indoor, and the footing tends to bake to cement pretty quickly. I think our problem was that it was too hard for Bobby to get comfortable on. No big deal, I'll just be more careful of that in the future. There are two big grass fields we can ride in that don't get hard so easily if we're really that sick of flatting in the indoor.

We did some really quick trot work (because I wasn't going to make Hubby sit through ten hours of trot as Bobby stretched down and then came back, stretched down, and up, and down, and up, and....yada yada until he actually unlocked his cramped withers and shoulders) before we moved on to some canter.

most days the right lead is worse. this weekend he felt like the left lead shouldget a turn to suck a little bit.

the right lead felt easy peasy though.

We finished with gallivanting around the front field bareback right quick because I've got social media to run here, Hubby. Suck it up.

we had a lesson out here thursday where bm basically yelled at me the whole timeto not let bobby fall to the inside going left, bobby kept popping flying changes andlocking onto jumps while ignoring me, and i bemoaned how out of shape i am. all ofthat is going on in this picture as well with bm in my head.

i am going to be so pissed if hubby can't figure out how to take focused jumping pictures.it was the only reason i bought this fucking camera!!!!

Nothing but a lot of dressage is in our immediate future...provided I can suffer putting breeches on over my knee. I want to get this horse's neck looking like a sexy swan. That is my only goal for this summer!